


Livin' on the Ocean

by Karezi413



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Humanstuck, mermaid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2014-10-10
Packaged: 2018-02-20 16:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2435699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karezi413/pseuds/Karezi413
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat is just an average boy living an average life. Except his best friend is a mermaid. Now he must live his life hiding the mermaid from his friends and family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Terezi swam up, reaching for the surface of the water. A pair of hands grasped her sides and pulled her deep back in. She turned to see her mother with her.

"Terezi! I've told you, we don't go to the surface." She said, taking the young girl's hand and swimming back down.

"But why mama???" She asked, forced to follow her mother.

"On the surface, there are scary people who want to tear us apart from each other. They're bad people. It's my job to protect you from them." She said, taking her young ten year old home.

Her mother sat her down on a clam, brushing out her fiery red hair a bit. Terezi hummed, eyes focused on the bright light up above the surface.

"Listen. Me and your father are going to find dinner, you, my darling are going to stay here and you won't go to the surface, alright?" Terezi nodded to her mother. "Be good then" She kissed her and swam to Terezi's father, before swimming off in search of dinner.

Terezi was a ten year old mermaid. She was nothing special, being raised in an average family. The only special thing about her was her tail. It was a beautiful red and teal tail. Dual color tails were very rare. Her father had the red tail, her mother had teal, but she was lucky enough for both colors. Her mother told her she'd having mermen all over for her tail. However, she had sparkly fins all over. It was foretold that mermaids with sparkly fins would face danger.

Terezi had never been to the surface. She wanted to go so bad. She always saw the shining light over the surface, the hot water in the light, she wanted to know the secrets. But her mother would never let her up there.

Terezi looked up again, staring at the light over the surface. She figured her mother wouldn't turn around this time. She exited her home and swam. She moved like she practiced, swimming in a smooth fluid motion. She reached forward, the surface was so close she could almost feel it. She was so close!

She stopped abruptly as a foreign object stabbed the water surface. She gasped, as it swooped around and scooped her out of the water. She shook and screamed. She grabbed the crossed rope of her containment, looking at the one who held the end.

She stared at the boy, a boy with pitch black hair. She looked at him, surprised by the two noodles that held him up. She looked up at him. His eyes were a bright red. She found it fascinating. She almost forgot what she was in.

"Mom! Dad! I caught something!!!" Shouted the boy, turning his head. She snapped back, wiggling and squirming in the rope of containment. She couldn't swim out, it was weird! What was this?!

"We're coming Karkat!" Shouted a man, getting up. Terezi gasped, these were the kinds of people her mother warned her about!

"Hey! Kid! Uh... Karkat! Please let me go!" His head flinched to her, looking at her. She looked at him with a desperate look. Karkat looked back at her, tilting his head.

"Why should I?"

"Because my mama told me not to come up, but I did! And I'm not ready to die! I'm only ten!" She teared up, genuinely scared for her life.

"Hey, I'm ten!" He looked at her. "And you look like a human! With a tail?" She tried to rip the rope containment but she wasn't strong enough.

"Yeah, where is yours?" He shook his head.

"I don't have one. I'm Karkat" He said as he looked over her.

"Yeah you have those weird limp noodles. I'm Terezi." She looked over at the end of the wood surface, watching his parents come closer. "Please! Let me go! We can talk after they go, please! My mother would kill me if she found out I came up."

"You didn't listen to your mother?" He thought back to when he didn't listen to his mother. He looked at her, looking into her beautiful teal eyes. Slowly he put the rope containment back in the water. Terezi grinned and swam out, swimming to hide under the dock, surfacing under it.

"Karkat? What did you catch?"

"I uh... It was too heavy, so I let it go, sorry dad!"

"It's fine son, I'm glad you caught something, its good to let things go, you know if you don't use it." She listened to him and Karkat's mother walk away. She swam out a little, looking up at the boy.

"They're gone now." He sat on the weird wood surface. She swam in front of him.

"It's so weird, the ground echoes as they walk!" She touched the pole of the wood surface.

"The ground? No this is a dock. This isn't ground." He looks up at the sky.

"Dock? Isn't that the flying water quaker?"

"Flying water quaker...? Oh! You mean ducks! Yeah no ducks and docks are different." She tilted her head. She was learning so much already.

"And your ropey containment?"

"You mean the net?" He held it up to show her. She backed away fast.

"Yeah. That." She laid back, floating on her back. She found it cool that she could float on the surface.

"Hey your tail is really cool." He said, kicking his noodles.

"No your weird arms are! You have arms instead of a tail! It's really cool! Can you pick up stuff with them?!" She moved close and held his noodle arms.

"What? these are arms, they're legs! My legs and feet." She pulled back.

"I have to get going Karkat, maybe I could come back up sometime, and we can play!" She laughed.

"Yeah, that'd be fun. Let's play tomorrow." Said Karkat as he looked at the water.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, Karkles!" She said diving back into the ocean to her home.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Karkat chuckled as he laid on shore with his best friend. Terezi laid beside him, grinning. Her tail flipped in the sand, still wet from the water. It was a gloomy day, but that didn't keep the two from meeting.

"Ugh and I can't deal with these hormones. How do you deal with them?" He asked, huffing.

"Well, I'm a mermaid. I don't get them? I don't know I've been kinda moody lately. But I don't know. It's just being thirteen. Through eighteen I think." She sighed. Three years since she had first surfaced. She learned a lot about what humans did or do. She knew Karkat went to school and she was learning time from the positions of the thing he called the sun.

She grew to wait for him while he was at school, sitting on the shore and waiting to hear his day. She was just amazed by his stories, learning what he learned through the day. He looked up as he felt water drip on him. He noticed how cloudy it really was, feeling the rain.

"Oh god. Terezi look at the clouds. I think there's going to be a storm!" He said, looking right at her again.

"Oh no, I'm getting a bad vibe, Karkles run!" She jumped back into the water. "Be safe Karkles!" She shouted at him and dived in, swimming to her family. He ran up to his house, trying to open the back door. When it wouldn't budge, he ran around the house, heading to the front.

His father unlocked the back door, throwing it open and shouting for him. "Karkat?! Karkat!! Come inside! A hurricane's coming!!!" The door shut as he ran to the shore in search of his son.

Karkat opened the front door, heading in. He closed the door, despite the wind coming with him. He smoothed his hair out, moving to the window, wanting to watch for Terezi, he didn't want anything to happen to his friend.

Karkat was stunned to see his father racing out in search of him. Karkat knocked on the window, trying to get his father's attention. He pounded, shouting. His father turned around, sighing in relief. He began to head back, but as he did, something caught his eye. Karkat watched him turn, before just seeing a wave of water wash away his father. Karkat screamed as he watched, backing away.

"Karkat!!" He heard, it was his mother. It came from the attic. He watched the water wash by as he cried. His father was swept up and gone. He hurried upstairs, not wanting to let the rest of his family get hurt.

Terezi held her father's hand as she cried. She swam closer, trying to push the rock that killed her father. She cried as she moved to nuzzle her cheek to his hand. It would be the last time she ever felt his hand hold her cheek. Her mother held her daughter from behind, crying for the loss of her husband as she did. Terezi turned in her hold, hugging her mother back.

"N-Now you know why hurricanes are so dangerous. Even in the water. Debris can crush us. Your father fell victim..." She held her teen close, finding comfort in her daughter.

Terezi opened her eyes as she cried, looking past her mother, finding her own comfort in bubbles. She watched the bubbles for several long minutes, wondering how the land was doing. Was it still raining? Was Karkat ok? She sniffled, something catching her eye. She pulled away from her mother, swimming past her. She followed a sinking black figure, swimming faster to catch it.

She stopped as she saw what it was. She gasped as she saw Karkat's father, his favorite black jacket contributing to the black. She wrapped her arms under his arms, ignoring her mother's yelling. She began to swim to the surface, dragging him with her. He was much heavier than she could carry, but her determination helped her.

Terezi surfaced, still holding his body. The hurricane had passed fast, the clouds were moving fast. She carried his body to shore, laying on some seaweed. The surface looked messy and torn to Terezi. Karkat's green house was covered in seaweed as well, some dents in the house. She lied beside his father for a moment, recovering from the haul. She moved to check his pulse, frowning when he had none. She wondered if Karkat had made it ok to his house. If his dad was out here, he could've been too...

Terezi watched the clouds, left with the only choice of waiting for Karkat. The clouds moved fast, revealing the harsh sun to her eyes. She screamed as she felt her eyes start to burn in pain. She covered her eyes, turning her head. She felt her eyes, tears forming as she felt pain.

Karkat's eyes went wide. He recognized that voice. He got up and looked out the attic window, towards the ocean. He saw her sitting on the shore with his dad, holding her face. He pushed past his mother and sister, running downstairs, out the back door.

"Dad, Terezi!" He shouted, jumping onto the sand. He lifted his dad up. "Dad?! Dad?! Are you okay?!" He observed his dad for any life.

"He's not here anymore" Terezi spoke as she curled her face to her tail in pain.

"Karkat!" It was his mother. Terezi pulled herself up, unable to see. She jumped, trying to get into the ocean but she fell on sand. Karkat bit his lip, holding back tears. He set him down and pushed Terezi in the water, crying. He was losing his father, he didn't need to lose his friend too. Terezi felt to the dock, hiding under it.

Karkat's mother ran out with his sister, both stopping at the sight. Karkat looked up at his mother, eyes filled in tears. His mother asked with just her eyes. He nodded and she fell to her knees in tears, crying. Nepeta, his sister cried with her mother. Karkat hugged his father's corpse, crying more. His mother stood up.

"I'll call the hospital..." She got down to Karkat, taking her husband's body. She lifted it, crying as she felt how cold his body was from the ocean. She moved and carried his body in, Nepeta following in tears. Karkat sat on the beach, crying more. Terezi pulled herself out of dock, feeling to the beach.

"T-Terezi?" He watched her struggle her way onto the sand, her eyes a lighter whiter color. Karkat moved quick to help her. He continued to cry but he was worried. "Wh-what happened?" He held her to him, ignoring the water from her body, wetting his shirt. She curled herself to him, sniffling.

"My daddy died too... A-And I can't see! I was watching the clouds and the sun came out. Bang I can't see. Well ok I can, but everything is a blur. It's hard! A-And... I found your father down there s-so I brought him up, b-but I couldn't save him..." She sniffled. Karkat held her, trying to comfort her. He cried more, clutching her almost like she was the father he lost.

Terezi cried to him by the loss of her father, and her friend's father. She held him close, trying to be very strong.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Karkat walked to the end of his dock, holding a flashlight. He flipped it on and off twice, signaling his mermaid friend. It had been two years already since he lost his father. He was fifteen and he still hung out with a mermaid.

Terezi jumped out of the water, just to show off. She landed back in, surfacing. She laughed as she had gotten him wet. He glared at her and she laughed more. Her vision had cleared up after her blinding and was only blurry and hazy around the edges.

"Hey Vantas!" Shouted a kid coming from behind him. She gasped and dived back down, trying to avoid being seen by the other kids. She surfaced under the dock, listening to the scene.

“Oh my fucking god, go the fuck away.” Karkat pushed the boy away.

“Not until you own up to flirting with my girlfriend.” Terezi gasped, she was sure Karkat liked her. She had felt a thing for him.

“I wasn’t flirting you idiot! I was picking up her books!” He felt a punch to the face, suddenly on the dock. Karkat grunted and hissed out in pain as he faced kicks to the stomach. Terezi growled and dove her head down, scooping water in her mouth.

The boy kicked Karkat into unconsciousness. He went to shore and grabbed a few rocks, filling his pockets, then he grabbed a big rock, and tossed it in his bag. He kicked Karkat's body into the ocean.

"That's what you get for flirting." Terezi spit out the water like a foutain, between the boards, hitting him right in the crotch. He looked down at the damp feeling, screeching and running, not wanting to be seen. Terezi dove down, grabbing Karkat, trying to pull him up. He was too heavy for her. She pushed the rocks out, forcing him out of the water. She surfaced, bringing him to shore, dumping his body on sand. She came beside him, pinching his nose, she began to give him mouth to mouth.

She got nervous, pounding on his lungs to get the water out, giving him repetitive mouth to mouth. She tried more, blowing in more. She smiled happily as she saw him spit out water and sputter. She smiled and threw her arms around Karkat, hugging him tight. He patted her back as he slowly realized what happened.

"Karkles you're okay!" He reached to his bag, opening it to see if things were okay.

"Oh no..." He pulled out a book as she pulled off him.

"Is that...?" She pointed at the book. The mermaid tale. It was ruined from water damage.

"The book I was reading you..." Karkat had gotten into reading her stories about about mermaids. He read her many books about mermaids, and some about fairytale creatures. He found out she really liked stories about dragons, so he would pick up some books about dragons too.

One time he had brought a portable dvd player down to her and they had watched The Little Mermaid. She liked it, but she said she'd never give up her tail for legs. Sure it'd be fun to be human for a day or two but not forever. Terezi made Karkat promise that he'd take her to see city hall. She learned about justice from him and loved it. She needed more.

Karkat opened the book, looking at the ruined words and pages. He tossed the book aside, sighing.

"Were you... Really flirting with that girl?"

"No, I just picked up her books. I bumped into her. He's an airhead." She smiled and leaned in, kissing him. Karkat’s eyes widen as she does, but in a weird way, he’s not surprised at all. It felt right to the teen. He took his hand off her back, before wrapping her delicate different body with his arms. Karkat pulls her close and keeps it going for a moment before pulling back from his fishy friend.

“Are you saying… You want to be with me? Even if I’m a boring mermaid?” Terezi asked, hugging him closer, happier than a clam. Karkat looked at her before laughing out. Terezi huffed and poked his cheek, unsure of his reason to laugh.

“Boring? You’re a mermaid, there’s no way that’s boring. I’m used to being shoved around with humans. Then I come see you every day, you’re always telling me these stories about the sea and we sit and read, we spend time together, something I don’t get with average people.” He tucked some hair behind her hair. “You’re special and unique. You’re like my special girl, so special that I make time to spend time with you, even when it rains. I sure as hell wouldn’t do that with a human.” She smiled at him, her smile radiating like the sun to him. “Plus it’s really cool that you can eat raw fish and spit out the bone in under two minutes.” She puffed her cheeks at him, hiding her face to him.

“Shut uuuuup, I don’t get why humans can’t do that anyways.” He laughed and held her close, watching the sunset on them. He finally landed the girl he wanted, and he wasn’t going to let her slip away.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Terezi sat below the surface, waiting for her boyfriend. She was sixteen already, and she was still dating Karkat. She waited for him to come back from his job. She hummed and tapped her fingers on a clam. She saw a double flash from the surface and quickly she swam up. She surfaced, looking.

"Karkles?!" The sun was bright today. She saw him nowhere. She turned, looking out to sea. She sighed, she must've misseen. Before she knew it, she was pulled out of the water by a net, turning, hoping it was her boyfriend playing a silly game. She stared straight when she saw some bullies of Karkat's. Sometimes they came with Karkat to torment him but she was always so careful, how did they know?!

They laughed and talked amongst themselves, carrying the net away from the dock. Terezi squirmed and struggled, grunting in unhappiness. Her tail hung out and she was slouched in, uncomfortable. She pulled at the rope, trying hard to free herself. She didn't need to cause unnecessary trouble for Karkat or any other mermaids.

 

They kept laughing as they carried her further on land. One of them turned the net over, high on the ground, letting her flop out. She landed, looking quickly to the sea. She was way out on land. She wouldn't be able to get back. She looked back at the bullies, but they were running away.

"Wait! I can't survive up here!" She flopped and flapped, hoping for rain or something.

Karkat grunts as he gets out of his car, heading and changing his clothes. He heads out the back door, seeing something flap in the grass. He strutted over, stopping at the sight of his mermaid. She was shriveling and dry, low on water supply.

"Terezi?!" He dropped his backpack, lifting her into his arms in a princess hold. He hurries her to the water, dropping her in. He kneels down as he watches her go down. He waits, biting his lips.

She absorbs the water back, swimming up and jumping to show him her joy. She lands on the water, grinning with glee. She squealed excitedly and swam to shore. Karkat runs to the shore, sitting to meet her again.

"Thank you Karkat!" She kisses him in happiness, holding herself close to him. "You're the best!" She says, her tail staying mostly in the water as she stayed close to him, grateful for his rescue.

"So you're okay then?"

"Thanks to you, your bullies signaled me and when I went up they used your net, scooped me out and carried me up there, I was drying out!" Karkat looked at her and soon he growled.

"They did that to you?!" He stood up, but Terezi pulled him down.

"No this is my time, just stay with me" She pulled him down, lying him down so only his feet hung in the water. She lied with him with a small smile. His heart beat kept her calm and serene, taking off pressure.

She loved spending time with him, even though they had less time together, with him at work. Terezi was under the impression he spent time working out or something because she noticed his muscles all the time. Unless his muscles came from his job. He worked at a gym doing memberships and working to be promoted to trainer, which he'd need to be strong for. But he still made time for her and she adored him for it.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Terezi felt tears running down her cheeks. She hugged Karkat more, wanting him to stay. She held him close, shaking slightly.

"Please don't go..." She said, getting closer.

"I... I have to. It'll only be awhile. And I'll spend my breaks here with you, when I come home for the weekend we can be together again. I promise." Terezi didn't want him to go off to college. She didn't want him to leave her. He lit up her world with books on mermaids, dragons and justice. He lit up her world with his stories, his goofy smile, his love.

"But Karkles!"

"Why don't you take some things?" He took off his sweatshirt, wrapping it around her wet body. "To remember me by, while I'm gone I mean." She held the sweatshirt to her, yearning still to keep him.

"But it's your favorite!"

"You're my favorite, it only makes sense you keep my favorite sweatshirt." He reached behind and pulled out an airtight picture frame of them together. "And keep this, I made sure no water would seep through." She held it, looking at the time they had spent together that day. She had to give him something important too. He couldn't have a picture of them lying around. Someone would see her tail.

"I have something for you." She pulled her arms in the sleeve holes and dived into the water. She swam down to her home, swimming in her room and opening a clam. She took a shell before swimming back. She moved to shore, holding out the shell for him.

"Keep this, it's my favorite shell. When you see it you'll think of me." The shell matched her tail in color scheme. He took it, hand grazing over it. Even now it reminded him of his little mermaid. He smiled in a gentle manner, hugging her.

"I'll miss you" He told her as he held her closer.

"I love you" She responded to him.

"I love you too" He told her, moving to kiss her. He held her close, deepening it into a passionate goodbye kiss. She held herself close, kissing her deep. It felt like forever, like were in their own world together where they never had to say goodbye. He soon had to pull back, hugging her again. She hugged him back, almost clinging.

It almost broke her when he pulled away. She teared up again as he did. He was going to leave.

"Baby... I promise I'll be back. Good bye Terezi" He gave her another kiss, it was more of a peck. Then he held the shell, getting up and walking away. It hurt to watch him walk away. She held his sweatshirt close to her body, looking at the picture as he walked out of sight.

The mermaid wept that night, hoping it was a dream that he left. She worried for him, hoping he'd be okay without her. She wanted him back with her. She didn't want him to go off to human college. She cried herself to sleep that night out of sadness.

* * *

Everyday she waited on the rock in front of his house. She waited for him hoping she'd see him come back. She wore his sweatshirt as she did, finding it warm and in memory of her beloved.

She waited everyday, all day, just hoping. Soon her days mashed together and she lost track of her days. She began to forget how long it'd been since she saw him. She began to worry that he found another girl, a human girl. She would be superior to Terezi in every way. He could do human stuff with her, he could spend the night in a bed with her, they could dance. She wasn't a stupid fish either. Or half fish, like it mattered.

She had waited a whole month, and her hope was fleeting. She spent a few nights in tears, she missed the dragons, the mermaids, the justice, and dhe missed him. She needed him back. She missed her little slice of human.

One day, as she waited for him, his mother came out of the house. Terezi dove into the water, hiding under the dock. She carried a bottle with her. She walked down to the dock, dropping the bottle in the water before heading back up.

Terezi snagged the bottle, uncorking it and pulling out a paper inside. She unrolled it and held it to read.

'My dearest Terezi' it read. 'I'm going to come down in two weeks. We can spend three days together when I do. And you'll meet my mother. You're probably bored, she'll keep you comfortable and happy.' She smiled. He was coming back. 'I put your shell on my desk, next to a picture of you with your tail behind the rock. You look a lot like a girl at the beach and not a mermaid. My roommate thinks you're really pretty. I can't wait to see you, I'll be there soon. Bye babe'

She cried as she read the bottom '~Karkat P.S. I love you'. She smiled and held the paper to her chest, so excited to see him soon. She cried again, only this time, she cried in joy and happiness. She would see her lover again soon.

 


	6. Chapter 6

After Karkat had graduated from college, his mother gave him the house, so he could continue to be with his girlfriend. Karkat got a stable job, one that would be exciting, pay well but wouldn’t take hours on end. He spent his days with his mermaid, when he wasn’t he was making himself food and watching a romcom.

But lately this hadn’t been enough for him. He began to strip carpet in his bedroom, only a small patch however. He pulled up some floor boards too, a jackhammer sat next to his bed, one would never figure out his plan. He planned on digging a tunnel from his room to the ocean. It would keep him and his girlfriend connected. That’s what he wanted. He could sleep knowing she was nearby. Hell he even planned on getting a futon.

Everyday he came home and drilled into the dirt, getting closer to his goal. Soon he spent his time, digging horizontally, using beams to keep his house supported. He was desperate to connect his house with the ocean. He wanted to.

Terezi saw less of him as he did, but she understood. He was busy for them. After all he wanted to marry her. This was what he wanted. Eventually he left a shovel by the shore, and she began to shovel towards where he told her the tunnel would be. She couldn't do much as she wasn't used to doing this kind of work but she tried hard.

While he was at work one day, Terezi dug as much as she could, determined to break through. She spent hours digging and panting from the work. By the end of the day, she was shoveling as hard as she could. She tried for a long time but finally she broke through the dirt, hitting to where he had dug to. She looked and grinned, swimming through the rest of the tunnel, swimming up and surfacing in his house. She looked around, smiling happily.

Terezi touched the carpet of his room, surprised by how soft it was. She stroked it, looking at the bed. His house was so nice, except some strange cloth shorts lied on the ground.

Terezi heard the front door open and close. She dove in the water, watching Karkat walk in the room. He walked passed the hole, probably stressed from a day of work, he probably didn’t realize she broke through,even with all the water filling the hole. She surfaced again, and blew water at the back of his leg. She giggled as he jumped, smiling at him. He turned and took a moment to put two and two together.

"Terezi?!" He moved and sat on the edge of the hole.

"Hey Karkles~!" She hugged him, not caring how wet he got.

"You broke through?!" He wasn't exactly sure they ever would.

"Yeah, and you didn't tell me how soft carpet was!" She giggled and cuddled herself to him, smiling. He smiled at his mermaid, holding close before pulling back.

"Terezi? Let me ask you something."

"Yeah Karkles?" She watched him, her smile warm enough to warm the ocean by a few degrees.

"I love you. Please be mine, my darling mermaid, forever?" He reached in his bag and pulled out a ring. Terezi gasped, inspecting the odd shiny rock.

"Marriage??? You really want to marry me?" She looked back at him.

"It's a diamond, and of course. I love you." She hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"Yes! I love you too!!" She nuzzled, and he slipped the ring on her ring finger, almost making it official. He wrapped his arms around her small body, wanting to love her more.

"I can't wait to be your wife, I guess I should tell my mom my boyfriend is a human huh?" She laughed. Her mother still thought she was dating a merman.

"No don't." He told her. She pulled back to look at him.

"Why not?" She asked, tilting her head.

 **  
**"Tell her your fiancé is a human." She looked at him and tackled him, kissing him repeatedly. He held onto his mermaid, refusing to let go.


	7. Chapter 7

Karkat yawned as he woke up. He turned and looked at the mermaid laying in the futon, her tail sticking in the water. All she needed was something in the water and she was fine. He watched her, stroking her cheek. She yawned and awoken, flicking her tail a bit. She smiled at him, pecking his cheek.

"I had a dream last night babe." He told her, kissing her again. "I think I want children..." He said, certain there was no chance.

"Well, how do human's have children?" He rubbed the side of her body. She didn't have the necessary part. He took her left hand and kissed above the wedding ring.

"I don't think it'll work. You don't have the female part to have children. How do mermaid's have children?" He asked, looking at her.

"Well, when two merpeople love each other, they go to the mermaid shrine, its hidden nearby! And they ask the love god for a baby! If they're successful, as in if their love is real and pure, then a mermaid will get pregnant for about three months, then they give birth in their sleep!"

"Jeez no wonder why mermaids are a freaking fairy tale that sounds so made up." He said, rubbing his head.

"I can take you there! We could ask for a child!" She hugged him, nuzzling close. He held her little body to him.

"Okay, it can't hurt." She smiled.

"You can get in the little boat and I'll pull the boat! I know where it is, it's only an hour away if we daddle!" He nodded and got up, putting on a shirt.

"I'll be out in a sec."

"I'll go wait for you baby!" She dove into the water and swam to the ocean. The tunnel was much nicer. Some of her friends fixed it up for their wedding. They put a nice door in, one for which she had the key for it. She opened door and shut it tight, surfacing. She grabbed some rope and fashioned a harness, tying the end at his boat, making sure she was secured in the harness.  Karkat came out and to the dock.

"Hey babe." He said as he climbed into the boat. She smiled and dove just below surface, swimming and pulling the boat. She pulled her human husband, swimming for a few miles. He watched her, making sure she wasn't pushing herself too much. She pulled him towards a waterfall. He looked at it, concerned. She swam through the waterfall and he held his hands up in a pathetic attempt to protect himself from water. When he passed he saw the pretty but dark alcove.

There was a mermaid statue made of gold on a rock. The first thing Karkat noticed, unfortunately was the rack on the statue. They were big. They rivaled his wife's, before he realized she sort of looked like the statue. Except her hair was short. The statue had long hair. A few merpeople dove down due to the human. She pulled the boat to the front of the statue, climbing up into the boat to hug him.

"Hello ms. Love god! I hope you're ok with him here, but we want to have a child! We're hoping you'll bless our love, we want a child to love and share. We're married and sort of live together, but I can't have babies the way a human can..." He looked between the statue and his wife.

"So is that a yes or no?" He asked her.

"I don't know. We won't know for a while now. We'll wait a month, we'd know by then." He hugged her. "I'll take you home" She moved to get back in but he stopped her.

"I'll take us home" He said, picking up the oars, sitting beside her and slowly rowing them out. She smiled and hung her tail over the side, helping him row, with her tail. She hugged him as he rowed them out and towards home.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Karkat smiled as he held his little guppy child thing. He wasn't sure what they were. Merchildren? He was happy to have his twins with with adoring mermaid. They got special cribs and filled them with water, sat by the hole. Terezi told him to do so they couldn't swim off. He kissed his son, listening to the squeal.

Terezi held their daughter, humming and rocking her. She learned about mothering through the books Karkat read her and she considered herself pretty good at it.

 **  
**Karkat's relief was not having to change their diapers. And even if they were merchildren he still loved them the same. He loved his wife and his children. They were perfect. He was the protector of his family.


End file.
